Meter-based hierarchical bandwidth sharing

ABSTRACT

Example methods and apparatus for hierarchical bandwidth management are disclosed. An example method includes, using dual-token bucket meters (two-rate three-color meters) to meter bandwidth usage by individual microflows and associated macroflows (combinations of microflows). The dual-token bucket meters are used to locally and finally mark the packets using a three-color marking approach. In the example method, forwarding and discard decisions for packets processed using such techniques are made based on the final marking.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 as a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/198,640, filed Aug. 26, 2008 and under 35 U.S.C. §119 to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/226,420, filed on Jul. 21, 2009. The disclosures of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/198,640 and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/226,420 are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This description relates to data and network communications.

BACKGROUND

Data communication applications and the use of data networks continue to grow at a rapid pace. Often networks used for data communication are shared, where different users and/or subscribers communicate data traffic over a common, or shared network. In such situations, data traffic management is typically used to implement predictable bandwidth allocation across the various traffic flows (e.g., among users). Different bandwidth allocation policies may be implemented using such traffic management techniques. For instance, bandwidth may be equally shared across the various traffic flows or bandwidth may be allocated based on an associated class of service for each traffic flow, as two possible examples.

One technique that is used to implement data traffic management in network devices (e.g., network switches or routers), is the use of hierarchical data queues and associated schedulers to control the flow of data traffic. In such an arrangement, respective data queues are used to process each individual traffic flow. For instance, data traffic for each individual user (subscriber) of an Internet Service Provider (ISP) would be processed in a dedicated queue. In such an approach, the associated schedulers then combine the separate traffic flows for each of the individual users (microflows) into one or more larger (e.g., higher bandwidth) traffic flows (macroflows). In such an approach, the hierarchical queues and schedulers are configured to implement bandwidth allocation policies, or perform traffic management. Implementing such bandwidth allocation policies includes deciding which data packets are to be forwarded on to their destination and which packets are to be dropped. These decisions are made, at least in part, based on the specific bandwidth allocation policies being implemented.

However, implementing traffic management using such a hierarchical queuing approach requires implementing complex queuing structures and associated schedulers in network devices that use such techniques to implement bandwidth allocation policies and, therefore, may be cost prohibitive. Further, in network devices that have limited data queuing resources, implementing traffic management using such an approach may be technically impracticable and/or highly inefficient.

SUMMARY

A system and/or method for data communication, substantially as shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a table illustrating example embodiments of data microflows and corresponding data macroflows.

FIG. 2 is block diagram illustrating an example embodiment a data communication apparatus for implementing meter-based hierarchical bandwidth sharing.

FIG. 3 is a table illustrating an example embodiment of data packet marking that may be employed in conjunction with the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example embodiment of a method for data communication that may be implemented in the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating another example embodiment of a data communication apparatus for implementing meter-based hierarchical bandwidth sharing.

FIG. 6 is a table illustrating an example embodiment of data packet marking that may be employed in conjunction with the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating an example embodiment of a method for data communication that may be implemented in the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example embodiment of an apparatus that may be used for metering data flow and associated marking of packets.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an example embodiment of a data queue with admission control.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating yet another example embodiment of a method for data communication.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating another example embodiment of a data communication apparatus for implementing meter-based hierarchical bandwidth sharing.

FIG. 12 is a table illustrating an example embodiment of data packet marking that may be employed in conjunction with the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a flow chart illustrating an example embodiment of a method for data communication that may be implemented in the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a table illustrating another example embodiment of data packet marking that may be employed in conjunction with the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 11.

FIG. 15 is a table illustrating yet example embodiment of data packet marking that may be employed in conjunction with the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 11.

FIG. 16 is a table illustrating still yet another example embodiment of data packet marking that may be employed in conjunction with the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 11.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an example embodiment of a method of packet marking that may be employed in conjunction with the apparatus described herein.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating another example embodiment of a method of packet marking that may be employed in conjunction with the apparatus described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As indicated above, in certain applications, it may be desirable to process data traffic in microflows, where a number of microflows may be combined into one or more higher-bandwidth macroflows (e.g., higher bandwidth than the individual microflows). FIG. 1 is a table 100 illustrating two example situations in which such a microflow/macroflow arrangement might be advantageous when implementing a bandwidth allocation and sharing policy.

In the table 100, column 110 indicates the type of macroflow for each example, while column 120 indicates the associated type of microflows that may be combined to produce the macroflow. For instance, in row 130, the macroflow indicated in column 110 is a data traffic flow for a customer, such as an individual network access customer. As shown in row 130, column 120, the microflows that may be combined to produce a customer macroflow are individual traffic services for the customer. Such individual traffic services may include voice data, streaming media, and Internet Protocol data, among any number of other possible traffic services.

In row 140, column 110, the indicated macroflow is a data traffic flow for an Internet Service Provider (ISP). In row 140, column 120, the associated microflows for the ISP macroflow are indicated as customer microflows. In such an embodiment, the microflows may each include data traffic for a respective customer of the ISP. The customer microflows may then be combined to produce the ISP macroflow.

As indicated above, microflows and macroflows may be processed using a hierarchical set of data queues and schedulers, where each microflow and macroflow is processed in a dedicated data queue. Such an approach allows for bandwidth allocation and sharing between the various data traffic flows. For example, bandwidth allocation and sharing may be implemented using hierarchical schedulers in such an approach. However, as was discussed above, such an approach may be cost prohibitive and complicated to implement.

Various example embodiments are described herein for implementing meter-based hierarchical bandwidth sharing that may be implemented in devices with limited queuing and scheduling resources, as compared to a hierarchical queuing structure (such as in network devices used to process and route data traffic). For instance, the embodiments described herein may be implemented using a network device with a single data queue to process a plurality of microflows and, likewise, a macroflow or plurality of macroflows, rather than using a dedicated data queue per microflow and/or macroflow. In other embodiments, a plurality of data queuing structures may be used where one or more microflows and/or macro flows are processed in each queuing structure.

As described in detail below, hierarchical bandwidth sharing in such arrangements may be achieved using metering of data traffic flows in conjunction with marking (e.g., color marking) of packets (or any other appropriate data segment, such as a frame (hereafter collectively referred to as “packets”)) and, in certain embodiments, preferential packet dropping.

In example embodiments, the packets from each microflow may include a field (such as in a packet header) indicating a particular microflow with which the packet is associated. Such an indication of an associated microflow allows for separate metering and marking of the packets for each individual microflow in order to implement a particular bandwidth sharing policy regardless of whether multiple dataflows (microflows and/or macroflows) are processed in the same data queue structure. Because microflows are combined to produce macroflows, a given packets macroflow may be determined from its microflow designation.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus 200 in which meter-based hierarchical bandwidth sharing may be implemented. The apparatus 200 may be a network device with limited data queuing resources (e.g., fewer data queues than a number of individual dataflows being processed). In the apparatus 200, a first set of ten microflows MicroFlow(0,0) 202 . . . MicroFlow(0,9) 204 may be combined, using a scheduler 214, to form a first macroflow MacroFlow-0 206. As discussed above, the microflows 202 . . . 204 may be processed in single data queue or in a plurality of queues. Also in the apparatus 200, in like fashion as discussed above for MacroFlow-1 206, a second set of ten microflows MicroFlow(1.0) 216 . . . MicroFlow(1,9) 218 may be combined, using a scheduler 228, to produce a second macroflow MacroFlow-1 220.

Still further in the apparatus 200, the MacroFlow-0 206 and the Macro-Flow-1 220 may be combined with one another, using a scheduler 230, to produce a data flow 232. In this instance, the MacroFlow-0 206 and the MacroFlow-1 220 may be considered to be microflows of the data traffic flow 232. For instance, the apparatus 200 may meter and mark packets of the MacroFlow-0 206 and the MacroFlow-1 220 in similar fashion as described below with respect to microflows 202, 204, 216 and 218. Likewise, the apparatus 200 may meter and mark data packets of the data flow 232 in similar fashion as discussed below for the macroflows 206 and 220.

In the apparatus 200, predictable bandwidth allocation for the microflows 202 . . . 204 and 216 . . . 218, as well as the macroflows 206 and 220 may be achieved using meters in conjunction with packet marking. For instance, metering of each microflow may be accomplished using respective token bucket meters (e.g., simple single token bucket meters and/or two-rate, three color token bucket meters) to determine whether each microflow is “in-policy” or “out-of-policy” with respect to a bandwidth allocation and sharing policy.

In an example embodiment, such as shown in FIG. 2, microflows 202 . . . 204 and 216 . . . 218 are metered, respectively, by single token bucket meters 208 . . . 210 and 222 . . . 224. In the apparatus 200, the meters 208, 210, 222 and 224 are used to ensure that bandwidth allocation of at least 50 megabits per second (Mbps) is provided for each of the corresponding microflows. It will be appreciated that this allocation is given merely by way of example and any number of other bandwidth allocation arrangements are possible. For instance, different bandwidths may be allocated to each of the microflows. Also in the apparatus 200, the macroflows 206 and 220 may be metered using simple single token bucket meters to determine whether a maximum bandwidth allocation for each macroflow is being exceeded. As described in detail below, such an arrangement provides for allocating a dedicated amount of bandwidth to each microflow and also provides for use (sharing) of unused macroflow bandwidth by microflows that exceed their dedicated bandwidth allocation.

In allocating data communication bandwidth to the microflows, the sum of the bandwidth allocations for a set of microflows (e.g., microflows 202 . . . 204) should be less than or equal to the bandwidth of the macroflow of which the particular set of microflows are a part of For example, in FIG. 2, each of the ten microflows (202 . . . 204) that are part of the MacroFlow-0 206 may have a bandwidth allocation of 50 Mbps, while the MacroFlow-0 206 may have a bandwidth of 500 Mbps (i.e., ten times 50 Mbps). Therefore, the sum of the bandwidth allocations for the microflows 202 . . . 204 of MacroFlow-0 206 is equal to the bandwidth of the MacroFlow-0 206.

Other allocations are possible, of course. For instance, the Macro-Flow-0 206 may include three microflows rather than ten microflows. In such a situation, the three microflows may have bandwidth allocations that, in total, are less than or equal to the bandwidth of MacroFlow-0 206. For instance, in this example, one of the microflows may have a bandwidth allocation of 250 Mbps, while the other two microflows may have bandwidth allocations of 125 Mbps each. Again, the sum of the microflow bandwidths would be equal to the bandwidth of the MarcroFlow-0, 500 Mbps. Numerous other bandwidth allocations are possible for the respective microflows of the MacroFlow-0 206 and the MacroFlow-1 220, and the above arrangements are provided by way of example only.

In the apparatus 200, the single token bucket meters 208 . . . 210 and 222 . . . 224 may be used to provide “minimum” bandwidth allocation for their corresponding microflows. For instance, if packets for MicroFlow(0,0) 202 (or any of the other microflows) arrive at a rate that is at or below an allocated data rate for the corresponding microflow (e.g., 50 Mbps in this example), the single token bucket meter 208 would indicate that each of the packets are in profile and the packets may be appropriately marked using a packet marker, such as described below. If, however, packets arrive a rate that is above the allocated data bandwidth for the MicroFlow(0,0), e.g., above 50 Mbps, as least some of the packets will be identified, based on the state of the meter 208 when a given packet is received at the apparatus 200, as being out-of-profile based on the allocated bandwidth. Such out-of-profile packets may be marked accordingly. In this situation, not every packet would be considered to out-of-profile, but only that portion of packets that corresponds with an amount of data traffic in the microflow that is above the allocated bandwidth for the microflow. That is, packets corresponding to the microflow 202's 50 Mbps bandwidth allocation would still be marked as in-profile.

For the single token bucket meters 208 . . . 210 and 222 . . . 224, tokens (or credits) may be periodically added to respective token counts for each of the buckets. The tokens may be added at a rate that corresponds with the allocated bandwidth for the particular microflow, such as 50 Mbps in this example. This rate may be referred to as the Committed Information Rate (CIR) for the microflow. In an example embodiment, the total number of tokens that may be included in a given token count may be limited. This limit may be referred to as “token bucket depth.” The number of tokens corresponding with a token bucket depth may also be referred to as a Committed Burst Size (CBS), which represents the instantaneous bandwidth that a particular microflow may consume in such a data communication apparatus.

The single token bucket meters 208 . . . 210 and 222 . . . 224 may determine whether packets of their corresponding microflows are in profile or out-of-profile based on their token counts. For example, when a packet arrives at the apparatus 200 that is identified (e.g., in its header) as being part of the MicroFlow(0,0) 202, the single token bucket meter 208 may be examined to determine if there is a positive token count. If the meter 208 has a positive token count, the received packet may be marked as being in-profile and a number of tokens corresponding to the size of the packet may be subtracted from the token count for the meter 208.

Conversely, if a packet arrives at the apparatus 200 that is associated with the microflow 202 and the associated token bucket meter 208 has a zero token count, or a negative token count, the received packet may be marked as being out-of-profile. For this particular embodiment, the token count of the meter 208 would not be modified to produce a negative, or further negative token count if the packet is marked as being out-of-profile. However, in other instances, a token count for a meter may be modified (producing a negative, or further negative token count) when a packet is marked as being out-of-profile, such as is some of the example embodiments described below.

In the example apparatus 200, while a limit for dedicated bandwidth allocation for the microflows, e.g., using the meters 208 . . . 210 and 222 . . . 224 is imposed, a corresponding limit for a maximum bandwidth is not imposed for the individual microflows. In such an arrangement, an upper bandwidth for the microflows may then be limited by the bandwidth allocation of the associated macroflow and the bandwidth usage of related microflows (e.g., microflows of the same macroflow). For instance, for the microflows 202 . . . 204, the associated MacroFlow-0 206 has maximum bandwidth allocation of 500 Mbps, which is monitored in similar fashion as the microflows using a single token bucket meter 212. The meter 212 may be used to determine whether the MacroFlow-0 is in-profile or out-of-profile with respect to its 500 Mbps bandwidth allocation. Such an arrangement allows for bandwidth sharing of unused bandwidth. For instance, if only a single microflow, MicroFlow(0,0) 202 is operating at 400 Mbps in the apparatus 200, the apparatus 200 may allow all of the packets in the microflow 202 to be communicated to their destination because the associated MacroFlow-0 206 would remain in profile (e.g., below its 500 Mbps bandwidth allocation).

In such a situation, some packets of the microflow 202 would be marked as in-profile (e.g., packets corresponding with the 50 Mbps bandwidth allocation), while the remaining packets in the microflow 202 would be marked as being out-of-profile (e.g., packets corresponding with the 350 Mbps of bandwidth usage above the 50 Mbps bandwidth allocation). In this instance, it is advantageous to allow the microflow 202 to use the excess bandwidth of the macroflow 206 that is not being used and would be otherwise wasted.

In an example embodiment, such as in the apparatus 200 for the above scenario, the packets in the microflow 202 that were determined (and marked) as being out-of-profile by the meter 208 may be upgraded to being “in-profile” based on the macroflow meter 212. In this example, when a packet arrives at the meter 212, the meter 212 may be examined to determine if a positive token count is present. Because the microflow 202 is the only microflow communicating data (at 400 Mbps), a positive token count would typically exist in the meter 212. Therefore, the packet's marking may be changed from being marked as out-of-profile to being in-profile based on the state of the macroflow meter 212. Accordingly, for the apparatus 200, packets that are marked as out-of-profile by a microflow meter (e.g., 208, 210, 222 and 224) may be upgraded to being in-profile by the corresponding macroflow meters 212 and 226 as long as the respective macroflows 206 and/or 220 remain in-profile, e.g., below their bandwidth allocation.

In the above example, if the remaining microflows that constitute the macroflow 206 began communicating packets at a rate of 50 Mbps (their allocated bandwidths) while the microflow 202 continued to communicate packets a rate of 400 Mbps, the macroflow meter 212 would go out-of-profile and, in this example, discontinue upgrading the packets from the microflow 202 that exceed its 50 Mbps bandwidth allocation. Using such an arrangement, excess bandwidth may be advantageously used by microflows, even though the microflows using the excess bandwidth may be operating above their individual bandwidth allocation. Further, such an arrangement provides a way to ensure that each microflow has uncontested access to its allocated bandwidth.

In the above situation, where a group of microflows begin operating in a substantially simultaneous fashion, the available data queuing resources in an apparatus such as the apparatus 200 should be sufficient to process the packets in such an instance. For example, the amount of data queuing resources available in the apparatus 200 for handling such a situation may be a product of the bucket depths for each of token bucket meters for the associated microflows (i.e., the CBSs of the microflow token bucket meters).

FIG. 3 is a table 300 illustrating an example embodiment for packet marking that may be used in conjunction with the apparatus 200 of FIG. 2 to indicate in-profile and out-of-profile packets and upgrade packets to facilitate unused bandwidth sharing. The example in the table 300 may be applied to individual packets to determine whether a packet is in-profile, or out-of-profile and, if the packet is marked as out-of-profile by a microflow meter, whether the packet should be upgraded.

The packet marking approach illustrated in FIG. 3 will discussed with respect to an individual packet. In the table 300, column 310 indicates the state of a microflow meter when the packet is received. If the microflow meter indicates the microflow is in-profile (e.g., has a positive token count) when the packet is received, the packet is marked as “green” (G). However, if the microflow meter indicates that the microflow is out-of-profile when the packet is received, the packet is marked as “red” (R). The markings in column 310 may be referred to as the microflow “local color,” as those markings indicate whether the microflow (e.g., based on its meter) is in or out-of-profile. Therefore the packet markings in column 310 indicate the local state of an associated microflow meter.

Column 320 in FIG. 3 indicates the state of the macroflow meter when the packet is received and may be referred to as the macroflow local color. As with the microflow local color, if the macroflow meter indicates the macroflow is in profile when the packet is received, the packet is marked (locally) as green “G.” If the macroflow meter indicates that the macroflow is out-of-profile when the packet is received, the packet is marked locally as red “R.”

Column 330 in FIG. 3 indicates what the final color of a packet would be in each instance illustrated in the table 300. In this example, the final color of a packet may depend on its microflow local color and its macroflow local color, as described in further detail below. Columns 340 and 350 indicate, respectively, whether the microflow meter and the macroflow meter are updated (token counts reduced) for a given packet in the various situations illustrated in FIG. 3.

Row 360 of the table 300 illustrates a situation where a packet is marked as “G” by both a microflow meter and a macroflow meter, indicating that the microflow and the macroflow are both in profile. The final color of the packet is marked as “G.” In this situation, both the microflow meter and the macroflow meter are updated, e.g., by reducing their token counts by an amount corresponding with the size of the packet.

Row 370 of the table 300 illustrates a situation where a packet is marked as “G” by a microflow meter and “R” by a macroflow meter. The final color of the packet is marked as “G” even though the macroflow meter indicates the macroflow is out-of-profile. Such an outcome may ensure the microflow's guaranteed bandwidth allocation. Because the packet was locally marked as “G” by the microflow meter, that indicates that the microflow is in profile and the packet should be forwarded on in the macroflow, not discarded. In this situation, both the microflow meter and the macroflow meter are updated. Because the microflow meter is in profile, the token count would be positive when the packet arrives. However, the macroflow meter is out-of-profile when the packet arrives, as the packet is marked “R” locally by the macroflow meter. Therefore, updating the macroflow meter will cause it to go negative or further negative in this instance. Such an approach may be advantageous in the situation described above where a single microflow is using excess bandwidth when multiple other microflows begin transmitting data at their allocated rates. By allowing the macroflow meter's token count to go negative, this will prevent the macroflow meter from upgrading any packets until the macroflow meter's token count becomes positive again. In this situation, each operating microflow would be allowed to transmit at data rates up to their respective allocated bandwidths, in accordance with the marking arrangement illustrated in row 370 of the table 300. Depending on the particular embodiment, the extent to which the macroflow meter's token count can go negative may be bounded to prevent the macroflow meter's token count from going further negative indefinitely.

Row 380 of the table 300 illustrates the situation where a packet receives an upgrade. As indicated in column 310, the packet is locally marked “R” by the microflow meter. As indicated in column 320, the packet is then locally marked “G” by the macroflow meter. This indicates that the individual microflow is out-of-profile (e.g., the microflow meter has a zero or negative token count), but that the macroflow is in profile (e.g., the macroflow meter has a positive count). In this example, the packet is then “upgraded” and marked with a final color of “G,” indicating that the packet should be forwarded on in the macroflow and not discarded. Techniques for discarding packets based on their final color are discussed in further detail below.

In the situation illustrated in row 380 of the table 300, the microflow meter is not updated and the macroflow meter is updated. Because the packet is upgraded to allow the opportunistic use of excess bandwidth by the out-of-profile microflow, updating the out-of-profile microflow meter could unnecessarily penalize that microflow for utilizing the excess bandwidth. For instance, allowing the microflow meter token count to go negative, or further negative may prevent the microflow from accessing its allocated (e.g., guaranteed) bandwidth once the other microflows begin to transmit until the microflow meter's token count is restored to a positive value by the periodic adding of tokens to its token count.

Row 390 of the table 300 illustrates the situation where both the microflow and the macroflow are out-of-profile. In this situation, the packet would be marked locally “R” for both the microflow and macroflow, as indicated in columns 310 and 320. As also shown in column 330, this would result in a final color of “R” for the packet. In this situation, neither the microflow meter nor the macroflow meter would be updated and the packet, typically would be dropped as being out-of-profile and not upgraded due to the unavailability of excess bandwidth in the macroflow.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example embodiment of a method 400 for data communication that may be implemented in the apparatus 200 of FIG. 2 using the packet marking illustrated in FIG. 3. The method 400 may, of course, be implemented in any number of other data communication apparatus, such as the apparatus 500 illustrated in FIG. 5, for example. For the below discussion, the method 400 will be described with reference to FIG. 4 and additional reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

At block 405 of the method 400, a data packet is received as part of a first data traffic flow. The packet may be, for example, part of a first microflow, such as the microflow 202. At block 410, it is determined whether a first rate of traffic of the first data traffic flow is less than or equal to a first threshold. For instance, the token bucket meter 208 may be examined. If a positive token count is present in the meter 208, the first rate of traffic would be determined to be less than or equal to the first threshold (e.g., an allocated or “guaranteed” data rate). If the meter 208 has a zero or negative token count, the first rate of traffic would be determined to be greater than the first threshold.

At block 415, in the event the first rate of traffic is determined to be less than or equal to the first threshold, the packet may be marked with a first marker type, e.g., “G” as the local microflow color, as discussed above. At block 420, in the event the first rate of traffic is greater than the first threshold, the packet may be marked with a second marker type, e.g., “R” as the local microflow color, as described above with respect to FIG. 3.

The method 400 further includes, at block 425, receiving a second data traffic flow having a second rate of traffic, such as a second microflow 204. At block 430, the first data traffic flow (microflow 202) may be combined with the second data traffic flow (microflow 204) to produce a third data traffic flow. For instance, in the apparatus of FIG. 2, the microflows 202 and 204 may be combined using the scheduler 214 to produce the MacroFlow-0 206.

At block 435, in the event the data packet was marked with the first marker type (e.g., locally “G” by the microflow meter 208) the packet may be forwarded as part of the third data flow regardless of a rate of traffic for the third data traffic flow (macroflow 206). This situation is represented by rows 360 and 370 of the table 300 illustrated in FIG. 3. In this situation, the local macroflow color could be determined, as described below, and meter updates performed in accordance with the table 300 illustrated in FIG. 3.

At block 440, it may be determined whether a third rate of traffic of the third data traffic flow is less than or equal to a second threshold (e.g., the upper bandwidth limit for the macroflow 206, in this case 500 Mbps). In the apparatus 200, this determination could be made based on the state of the macroflow meter 212. If the meter 212 has a positive token count when the packet is received, that would indicate that the third rate of traffic is less than or equal to the second threshold (e.g., the macroflow 206 is in-profile). If the meter 212 has a zero or negative token count, that would indicate that the third rate of traffic is greater than the second threshold (e.g., the macroflow 206 is out-of-profile).

At block 445, in the event the data packet is marked with the second marker type (e.g., locally “R” for the microflow 202) and the third rate of traffic is less than or equal to the second threshold (e.g., locally “G” for the macroflow 206), the marker type for the packet may be changed from the second marker type (local microflow color of “R”) to the first marker type (final color of “G”). This illustrates the situation in row 380 of the table 300, where a packet marked “R” from an out-of-profile microflow is upgraded to “G” in order to opportunistically take advantage of unused bandwidth, such as is in the apparatus 200, as discussed above. Further at block 445, the upgraded packet is forwarded as part of the third data flow (e.g., macroflow 206).

At block 450, in the event the data packet is marked with the second marker type (e.g., locally “R” for the microflow 202) and the third rate of traffic is greater than the second threshold (e.g., locally “R” for the macroflow 206), the packet may be discarded. Various approaches exist for discarding the packet. For instance, the packet may be immediately discarded when the determination is made to mark the packet with a final color “R.” Alternatively, for example, the packet may be forwarded to a data queuing structure with admission control and be discarded by the queuing structure. Other alternatives also exist. For instance, if congestion is not present at the data queuing structure, packets marked “R” as their final color may still be admitted to the data queuing structure. For instance, if the data queue occupancy is below a “red” threshold, packets with a final color marking of “R” may be admitted. If the queue occupancy is above the red threshold, the packets would be discarded in this example. A functionally similar threshold could be used for green packets, where the green threshold is higher than the red threshold. As an example, a red threshold may be set at twenty-five percent queue occupancy, while a green threshold may be set at ninety percent queue occupancy, as one example. An embodiment of such a data queuing structure with admission control is described in further detail below with respect to FIG. 9

FIG. 5 is a block diagram that illustrates another apparatus 500 for data communication that may be used to implement meter-based hierarchical bandwidth sharing. The apparatus 500 is similar to the apparatus 200 in a number of respects. For instance, a set of microflows 502 . . . 504 is combined, using scheduler 518 to form a first macroflow 506. Also, a second set of microflows 520 . . . 522 are combined, using a scheduler 536 to form a second macroflow 524. The macroflows 506 and 524 are combined, using a scheduler 538 to form a data flow 540. The macroflow 506 is metered in similar fashion as the macroflow 206 using a single token bucket meter 516. Likewise, the macroflow 524 is metered in similar fashion as the macroflow 220 using a single token bucket meter 534.

In the apparatus 500, the microflows are metered using two token buckets, or using dual-token bucket meters. For instance, the microflow 502 is metered using a first token bucket 508, which is used to ensure that the microflow 502 has access to its allocated (“minimum”) bandwidth. The microflow 502 is also metered by a second token bucket 510, which is used to ensure that the microflow 502 does not exceed an upper (“maximum”) bandwidth limit. The microflows 504, 520 and 522 are similarly metered, respectively, by the token bucket pairs of 512/514, 526/528 and 530/532. For purposes of illustration, the metering of microflow 502 will be discussed below.

As with the token bucket meter 208 for the microflow 202 in the apparatus 200, the token bucket 508 is used to ensure that the microflow 502 has access to its allocated “guaranteed” bandwidth. In an example embodiment, tokens may be periodically added to a token count of the meter 508 at a rate proportional to the allocated bandwidth and up to a bucket depth corresponding with a CBS for the microflow 502. As discussed above with respect to the meter 208, the allocated bandwidth metered by the token bucket 508 may be referred to as the CIR of the microflow 502.

In the apparatus 500, the token bucket 510 meters the use of excess bandwidth by the microflow 502 above its CIR and up to an upper limit, in this case 100 Mbps. The difference between the CIR of the microflow 502 and the upper bandwidth limit may be referred to as the excess information rate (EIR), which in this case would be 50 Mbps (i.e., 100 Mbps-50 Mbps). In an example embodiment, tokens may be periodically added to a token count of the meter 510 at a rate proportional to the EIR and up to a bucket depth corresponding with an excess bucket size of the token bucket 510. Because two rates (e.g., the CIR and the EIR) are being monitored for the microflows in the apparatus 500, packet marking may be accomplished using a three color scheme for microflows, as is described below.

FIG. 6 is a table 600 illustrating an example embodiment for packet marking that may be employed with the apparatus 500 illustrated in FIG. 5. The packet marking illustrated in FIG. 6 accounts for metering of both the CIRs and EIRs for the microflows of the apparatus 500. In the table 600, column 605 indicates the state of a microflow (e.g., dual-bucket) meter when a packet is received. If the token bucket 508 indicates that the microflow is operating within its CIR (e.g., the token bucket 508 has a positive token count) when the packet is received, the packet is marked as green (“G”). However, if the token bucket 508 indicates that the microflow is operating above its CIR when the packet is received (e.g., the token count of the bucket 508 is zero or negative), the token bucket 510 may be examined to determine if the microflow 502 is operating within its EIR (e.g., the token bucket 510 has a positive token count). If the microflow is operating within its EIR, the packet is marked as yellow (“Y”). Further, if the token buckets 508 and 510 indicate that the microflow 502 is operating above the EIR (e.g., the token counts of the buckets 508 and 510 are either zero or negative), the packet is marked as red (“R”).

As with column 310 of the table 300, the color markings in column 605 may be referred to as the microflow “local color,” as those markings indicate whether the microflow (e.g., based on its dual token bucket) is operating within its CIR, operating within its EIR, or is out-of-profile. Therefore the packet markings in column 605 indicate the local state of an associated microflow dual token bucket meter.

Column 610 in FIG. 6 indicates the state of the macroflow meter when the packet is received and may be referred to as the macroflow local color. As discussed above with respect to FIG. 3, if the macroflow meter indicates the macroflow is in profile when the packet is received, the packet is marked (locally) as green “G.” If the macroflow meter indicates that the macroflow is out-of-profile when the packet is received, the packet is marked locally as red “R.”

Column 615 in FIG. 6 indicates what the final color of a packet would be in each instance illustrated in the table 600. In this example, the final color of a packet may depend on its microflow local color and its macroflow local color, such as described in further detail below. Columns 620 and 625 indicate, respectively, whether token counts of the microflow CIR bucket (e.g., token bucket 508), the EIR bucket (e.g., the token bucket 510) and/or the macroflow meter (e.g., single token bucket meter 516) are updated (e.g., token counts reduced) for a given packet in the various situations illustrated in FIG. 6.

Row 630 of table 600 illustrates the situation where a microflow is operating within its CIR and an associated macroflow is operating in-profile when a given packet of the microflow is received. Accordingly, the packet would be marked locally as “G” for the microflow and locally as “G” for the associated macroflow. In this instance, as shown in column 615, the final color of the packet would be “G” as well. Typically, the packet would be forwarded onto to its destination. In some embodiments, however, the packet could still be dropped due to congestion at, for example, an egress data queuing structure. In this situation, the CIR bucket (e.g., bucket 508) and the macroflow bucket (e.g., 516) would be updated, or have their token counts reduced by an amount corresponding with the size of the packet.

Row 635 of table 600 illustrates the situation where a microflow is operating within its CIR and an associated macroflow is operating out-of profile when a given packet of the microflow is received. Accordingly, the packet would be marked locally as “G” for the microflow and locally as “R” for the associated macroflow. In this instance, as shown in column 615, the final color of the packet would be “G” as the microflow is operating within its CIR (e.g., at or below its guaranteed bandwidth). As shown in columns 620 and 625, both the committed bucket and the macroflow meter would be updated. In this instance, the token count of the macroflow meter would go negative, or further negative. As discussed above, this outcome is desirable in certain embodiments as it may ensure that upgrades are not available for a period of time when additional microflows begin communicating in situations where one or more other microflows have been operating above their CIR and using excess bandwidth. As previously discussed, using such an approach would allow each microflow to have access to its CIR. Packet upgrades would not be available again until the macroflow meter achieved a positive token count.

Row 640 illustrates the situation where a microflow is operating above its CIR but within its EIR and an associated macroflow is operating in-profile when a given packet of the microflow is received. Here the packet would be marked locally as “Y” for the microflow and locally as “G” for the macroflow. In this instance, the final color of the packet would be marked as “G”, or the packet would be upgraded to allow the microflow to utilize the excess bandwidth of the macroflow. As shown in columns 620 and 625, the token counts for an excess bucket (e.g., bucket 510) and the macroflow bucket (e.g., token bucket meter 516) would be updated by reducing their token counts by an amount corresponding with the size of the packet.

Row 645 illustrates the situation where a microflow is operating above its CIR but within its EIR and an associated macroflow is operating out-of-profile when a given packet of the microflow is received. Here the packet would be marked locally as “Y” for the microflow and locally as “R” for the macroflow. In this instance, upgrades would not be available as the macroflow is operating out-of-profile. Accordingly, the packet is marked with a final color of “R” and none of the token buckets for the microflow or macroflow are updated. Typically the packet in this situation is discarded, though in some embodiments the packet may be forwarded to its destination if congestion does not exist downstream, such as described above and in further detail below.

Rows 650 and 655 illustrate situations where a microflow is operating above both its EIR and CIR. In the situation of row 650, an associated macroflow is operating in-profile, while in the situation of row 655, the macroflow is operating out-of-profile. In both of these situations, the final color of the packet would be marked as “R” because the microflow is operating above its EIR, which represents an upper bandwidth limit for the macroflow. Therefore, even if the associated macroflow is operating in-profile, upgrades would not be given to packets that are marked locally as “R” for microflows in this embodiment. In these situations, none of the token buckets for the microflow or macroflow would be updated.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example embodiment of a method 700 of meter-based hierarchical bandwidth sharing. The method 700 may be implemented in the apparatus 500 of FIG. 5 using the packet marking illustrated in FIG. 6. Of course, the method 700 could be implemented in any number of data communication apparatus and is not limited to the approaches illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. However, for purposes of illustration, the method 700 will be described with additional reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

At block 705 of the method 700, a data packet is received as part of a first data traffic flow. The packet may be, for example, part of a first microflow, such as the microflow 502. At block 710, it is determined whether a first rate of traffic of the first data traffic flow is less than or equal to a first threshold. For instance, the token bucket 508 may be examined to determine if the microflow 502 is operating at or below its CIR. If a positive token count is present in the meter 508, the first rate of traffic would be determined to be less than or equal to the first threshold (e.g., the CIR or “guaranteed” data rate). If the meter 508 has a zero or negative token count, the first rate of traffic would be determined to be greater than the first threshold, indicating the microflow is operating above its CIR. At block 715, in the event the first rate of traffic is determined to be less than or equal to the first threshold (the CIR), the packet may be marked with a first marker type (e.g., “G”) as the local microflow color, such as discussed above.

At block 720, in the event the first rate of traffic is greater than the first threshold (e.g., the microflow 502 is operating above its CIR), a determination may then be made as to whether the first rate of traffic is greater than a second threshold (e.g., an EIR for the microflow), where the second threshold (EIR) is greater than the first threshold (CIR). In the event the first rate of traffic is less than or equal to the second threshold, the data packet may be marked with a second marker type (e.g., “Y”) as the local microflow color, such as discussed in the above example with respect to FIG. 6. However, in the event the first of rate traffic is greater than the second threshold (EIR), the data packet may then be marked with a third marker type (“R”) as the local color for microflow, as also discussed above with respect to FIG. 6.

At block 725 of the method 700, a second data traffic flow having a second rate of traffic may be received. At block 730, the first data traffic flow may be combined with the second data traffic flow to produce a third data traffic flow. Of course, the first and second data traffic flows may simply be combined with each other, or may be combined with additional data traffic flows to form the third data traffic flow.

At block 735, in the event the data packet is marked with the first marker type (locally “G” for the microflow), the data packet may be forwarded in the third data flow. This may be done regardless of the state of the third traffic flow (e.g., the macroflow) because the first data traffic flow (e.g., microflow) is operating below the first threshold (e.g., within its CIR). These situations are illustrated by rows 630 and 635 of the table 600 shown in FIG. 6.

At block 740, it may be determined whether a third rate of traffic of the third data traffic flow is less than or equal to a third threshold (e.g., a macroflow bandwidth limit). At block 745, in the event the data packet is marked with the second marker type (e.g., locally as “Y” for the microflow) and the third rate of traffic is less than or equal to the third threshold (e.g., the macroflow is in profile), the packet's marker may be changed from the second marker type to the first marker type (e.g., the packet may be upgraded and given a final color of “G,” such as illustrated by row 640 of the table 600). In this instance, the packet may be forwarded in the third data flow, such as in the fashions described herein.

At block 750, in the event the data packet is marked with the second marker type (e.g., marked locally “Y” for the microflow) and the third rate of traffic is greater than the third threshold (e.g., the macroflow is out-of-profile), the marker of the packet may be changed from the second marker type to the third marker type (e.g., marked with a final color of “R” as no upgrades are available due the out-of-profile state of the macroflow). In this situation, the packet may be discarded from the third data flow. Alternatively, the packet may be sent to a data queuing structure with admission control as described above and in further detail below.

At block 755, if the packet is marked with the third marker type (e.g., locally as “R” for the microflow, the packet may be discarded regardless of the rate of traffic of the third data flow (e.g., the macroflow). Such examples were discussed above with regard to rows 650 and 655 of the table 600 illustrated in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is block diagram of a two-rate three-color meter (trTCM) 800 that may be used for metering microflows in the apparatus 500 illustrated in FIG. 5. The trTCM 800 includes dual-token buckets 810, packet marking 820 and meter updating 830. The dual-token bucket 810 includes a CIR bucket 812 and an EIR bucket 814. As was discussed above, tokens 815 are added to the CIR bucket 812 at rate that is proportional with a CIR 816 for an associated microflow. Likewise, tokens 815 are added to the EIR bucket 814 at a rate that is proportional with an EIR 817 for the associated microflow. As was also discussed above, the CIR bucket 812 is limited in its token count by the CBS 818 (e.g., the CIR bucket 812's depth). Likewise, the EIR bucket 814 is limited in its token count by an excess burst size (EBS) 810 (e.g., the EIR bucket 814's depth).

The packet marking block 820 may mark packets in accordance with the embodiments illustrated and described above with respect to FIGS. 5-7. Also, the meter update block 830 may update token counts of the CIR bucket 812 and the EIR bucket 814 in accordance with the embodiments illustrated and described above with respect to FIGS. 5-7.

FIG. 9 illustrates a data queuing structure 900 that includes packet admission control 920. In the queuing structure 900, packets that are admitted by the admission control 920 may be queued in a data queue 930 for transmission to their respective destinations.

The data queuing structure 900 may receive a data flow 910 that includes packets that have been marked in accordance with the packet marking embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 6, or using any other packet marking approach. The packet admission control 920 may admit or discard packets based only on their final color. In such an approach, any packet marked with a final color “R” would be discarded, while any packet marked with a final color “G” would be admitted to the data queuing structure 900 and placed in data queue 930 to be transmitted to its final destination.

Alternatively, packets may be admitted to the data queuing structure 900 by the packet admission control 920 based on their final color and on data occupancy of the data queue 930. For instance if a packet with a final color of “R” arrives at the packet admission control 920, the packet admission control 920 may determine the amount of data presently in the data queue via line 935. If the occupancy of the data queue 930 is below a red threshold (indicating there is very little or no data congestion) the packet admission control 920 may admit the packet and place it in the data queue 930 for delivery. Conversely, if the data occupancy is above the red threshold 940, the packet may be discarded. Green packets may be similarly admitted and discarded based on a green threshold 950 for queue occupancy, where the green threshold 950 is higher than the red threshold 940. The admission control 920 may operate without the use of the thresholds, using both thresholds or using only a single threshold. For instance, only the red threshold 940 may be used, while all packets marked with a final color “G” are admitted to the queue 930.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example embodiment of a method 1000 for meter-based hierarchical bandwidth sharing including preferential dropping of packets using the data queuing structure 900 illustrated in FIG. 9. It will be appreciated that a preferential packet dropper that is not part of a data queuing structure may alternatively, perform the packet admission and discard functions of admission control 920. As another alternative, the packet dropping functions may be carried out as part of the packet marking process. Still other alternatives may exist.

At block 1005 of the method 1000, a data packet may be received that is included in a first data traffic flow. At block 1010, it may be determined if a first rate of traffic of the first data traffic flow is less than or equal to a first threshold (e.g., a microflow's CIR). At block 1015, in the event the first rate of traffic is less than or equal to the first threshold, the data packet may be marked with a first marker type (e.g., locally as “G” for the microflow). At block 1020, in the event the first rate of traffic is greater than the first threshold, the data packet may be marked with a second marker type (e.g., locally “R” for the microflow).

At block 1025, a second data traffic flow having a second rate of traffic may be received. At block 1030, the first and second data traffic flows may be combined to produce a third data traffic flow (e.g., a macroflow). At block 1035, it may be determined whether a third rate of traffic of the third data traffic flow is less than or equal to a second threshold (e.g., the macroflow's bandwidth limit). At block 1040, in the event the data packet is marked with the second marker type (“R”) and the third rate of traffic is less than or equal to the second threshold, the second marker type may be changed to the first marker type (e.g., the packet may be upgraded, such as illustrated in row 380 of the table 300 in FIG. 3).

At block 1045, the third data traffic flow is provided to a data queue having a first admission threshold (e.g., red threshold 940) and a second admission threshold (e.g., green threshold 950). At block 1050, in the event the packet is marked with the second marker type (“R”) and an amount of data in the data queue is greater than the first admission threshold (red threshold), the packet may be discarded. At block 1055, in the event the packet is marked with the second marker type (“R”) and the amount of data in the data queue is less than or equal to the first admission threshold (red threshold), the packet may be forwarded to a destination of the packet.

At block 1060, in the event the packet is marked with the first marker type (“G”) and the amount of data in the data queue is greater than the second admission threshold (green threshold), the packet may be discarded. At block 1065, in the event the packet is marked with the first marker type (“G”) and the amount of data in the data queues is less than or equal to the second admission threshold (green threshold), the packet may be forwarded to its destination.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram that illustrates another apparatus 1100 for data communication that may be used to implement meter-based hierarchical bandwidth sharing. The apparatus 1100 is similar to the apparatus 500 in a number of respects. For instance, a set of microflows 1102 . . . 1104 is combined, using scheduler 1118 to form a first macroflow 1106. Also, a second set of microflows 1120 . . . 1122 are combined, using a scheduler 1136 to form a second macroflow 1124. The macroflows 1106 and 1124 are combined, using a scheduler 1138 to form a data flow 1140. The data flow 1140 is a macroflow that includes the macroflows 1106 and 1124.

In the apparatus 1100, the microflows are metered using two token buckets, or using dual-token bucket meters. For instance, the microflow 1102 is metered using a first token bucket 1108, which is used to ensure that the microflow 1102 has access to its allocated (“minimum”) bandwidth. The microflow 1102 is also metered by a second token bucket 1110, which is used to ensure that the microflow 1102 does not exceed an upper (“maximum”) bandwidth limit. The microflows 1104, 1120 and 1122 are similarly metered, respectively, by the token bucket pairs of 1112/1114, 1126/1128 and 1130/1132. For purposes of illustration, the metering of microflow 1102 will be discussed below.

As with the token bucket meter 508 for the microflow 502 in the apparatus 500, the token bucket 1108 is used to ensure that the microflow 1102 has access to its allocated “guaranteed” bandwidth. In an example embodiment, tokens may be periodically added to a token count of the meter 1108 at a rate proportional to the allocated bandwidth and up to a bucket depth corresponding with a CBS for the microflow 1102. As discussed above with respect to the meter 508, the allocated bandwidth metered by the token bucket 1108 may be referred to as the CIR of the microflow 1102.

In the apparatus 1100, the token bucket 1110 meters the use of excess bandwidth by the microflow 1102 above its CIR and up to an upper limit, in this case 100 Mbps. The difference between the CIR of the microflow 1102 and the upper bandwidth limit may be referred to as the excess information rate (EIR). In an example embodiment, tokens may be periodically added to a token count of the meter 1110 at a rate proportional to the EIR and up to a bucket depth corresponding with an excess bucket size of the token bucket 1110. Because two rates (e.g., the CIR and the EIR) are being monitored for the microflows in the apparatus 1100, packet marking may be accomplished using a three color scheme for microflows, as is described below.

In the apparatus 1100, the macroflow 1106 is metered using two token buckets, or using dual-token bucket meters 1116 and 1117. Likewise, the macroflow 1124 is metered in similar fashion as the macroflow 1106 using two token buckets, or using dual-token bucket meters 1134 and 1135. For purposes of illustration, the monitoring of the macroflow 1106 using the dual-token bucket meters 1116 and 1117 is discussed below.

The token bucket 1116 is used to ensure that the macroflow 1106 has access to its allocated “guaranteed” bandwidth. In an example embodiment, tokens may be periodically added to a token count of the meter 1116 at a rate proportional to the allocated bandwidth and up to a bucket depth corresponding with a CBS for the macroflow 1106. The allocated bandwidth metered by the token bucket 1116 may be referred to as the CIR of the macroflow 1106.

In the apparatus 1100, the token bucket 1117 meters the use of excess bandwidth by the macroflow 1106 above its CIR and up to an upper limit, in this case 600 Mbps. The difference between the CIR of the macroflow 1106 and the upper bandwidth limit may be referred to as the excess information rate (EIR). In an example embodiment, tokens may be periodically added to a token count of the meter 1117 at a rate proportional to the EIR and up to a bucket depth corresponding with an excess bucket size of the token bucket 1117. Because two rates (e.g., the CIR and the EIR) are being monitored for the macroflows in the apparatus 1100, packet marking may be accomplished using a three color scheme for macroflows, as is described below.

Because the token bucket meters 1116 and 1117 monitor the combination of microflows 1102 . . . 1104 in the macroflow 1106, the token bucket meters 1116 and 1117 may be used to determine whether the microflows 1102 . . . 1004 collectively exceed the minimum (CIR) bandwidth (e.g., 500 Mbps) for the macroflow 1106 and also whether the microflows 1102 . . . 1004 collectively exceed the maximum (EIR) bandwidth (e.g., 600 Mbps) for the macroflow 1106. Thus, the token bucket meter 1116 may be used to determine that the sum of the data rates of the microflows 1102 . . . 1004 do not exceed the MinBW threshold for the macroflow 1106. This is indicated in FIG. 11 by the token bucket meter 1116 determining Max(MinBW), such as by summing the data rates of the individual microflows 1102 . . . 1104. The token bucket meter 1117 may be used to determine that the sum of the data rates of the microflows 1102 . . . 1104 do not exceed the MaxBW threshold for the macroflow 1106. The MaxBW threshold for the macroflow 1106 (shown as Max(MaxBW) should be greater than or equal to the largest MaxBW threshold for the microflows 1102 . . . 1104.

FIG. 12 is a table 1200 illustrating an example embodiment for packet marking that may be employed with the apparatus 1100 illustrated in FIG. 11. The packet marking illustrated in FIG. 12 accounts for metering of both the CIRs and EIRs for the microflows of the apparatus 1100 and both the CIRs and EIRs for the macroflows 1106 and 1124 of the apparatus 1100.

In the table 1200, in like fashion as the table 600, column 1205 indicates the state of a microflow (e.g., dual-bucket) meter when a packet is received. For example, if the token bucket 1108 indicates that the microflow 1102 is operating within its CIR (e.g., the token bucket 1108 has a positive token count) when the packet is received, the packet is marked as green (“G”). However, if the token bucket 1108 indicates that the microflow 1102 is operating above its CIR when the packet is received (e.g., the token count of the bucket 1108 is zero or negative), the token bucket 1110 may be examined to determine if the microflow 1102 is operating within its EIR (e.g., the token bucket 1110 has a positive token count). If the microflow 1102 is operating within its EIR, the packet is marked as yellow (“Y”). Further, if the token buckets 1108 and 1110 indicate that the microflow 1102 is operating above the EIR (e.g., the token counts of the buckets 1108 and 1110 are either zero or negative), the packet is marked as red (“R”).

As with column 605 of the table 600, the color markings in column 1205 may be referred to as the microflow “local color,” as those markings indicate whether the microflow (e.g., based on its dual token bucket) is operating within its CIR, operating within its EIR, or is out-of-profile (e.g., operating above its EIR). Therefore the packet markings in column 1205 indicate the local state of an associated microflow dual token bucket meter.

Column 1210 in FIG. 12, in like fashion as column 610 of the table 600, indicates the state of the macroflow dual-token bucket meters 1116 and 1117 when the packet is received and may be referred to as the macroflow local color. The local color marking, e.g., for macroflow 1106, in column 1210 is determined in similar fashion as the local color marking for microflows, as indicated in column 1205. For instance, if the token bucket 1116 indicates that the macroflow 1106 is operating within its CIR (e.g., the token bucket 1116 has a positive token count) when the packet is received, the packet is locally marked as green (“G”). However, if the token bucket 1116 indicates that the macroflow 1106 is operating above its CIR when the packet is received (e.g., the token count of the bucket 1116 is zero or negative), the token bucket 1117 may be examined to determine if the macroflow 1106 is operating within its EIR (e.g., the token bucket 1117 has a positive token count). If the microflow is operating within its EIR, the packet is locally marked as yellow (“Y”). Further, if the token buckets 1116 and 1117 indicate that the macroflow 1106 is operating above the EIR (e.g., the token counts of the buckets 1116 and 1117 are both zero or negative), the packet is locally marked as red (“R”).

Column 1215 in FIG. 12, in like fashion as the column 615 of the table 600, indicates what the final color of a packet would be in each instance illustrated in the table 1200. In this example, the final color of a packet may depend on its microflow local color and its macroflow local color, such as described in further detail below. Columns 1220 and 1225 indicate, respectively, whether token counts of the microflow CIR bucket (e.g., token bucket 1108), the EIR bucket (e.g., the token bucket 1110), the macroflow CIR bucket (e.g., token bucket 1116) and/or the macroflow EIR bucket (e.g., token bucket 1117) are updated (e.g., token counts reduced) for a given packet in the various situations illustrated in FIG. 12.

Row 1230 of table 1200 illustrates the situation where a microflow is operating within its CIR and an associated macroflow is also operating within its CIR when a given packet of the microflow is received. Accordingly, the packet would be marked locally as “G” for the microflow and locally as “G” for the associated macroflow. In this instance, as shown in column 1215, the final color of the packet would be “G” as well. Typically, the packet would then be forwarded onto to its destination. In some embodiments, however, the packet could still be dropped due to congestion at, for example, an egress data queuing structure. In this situation, for the microflow 1102, the microflow CIR (committed) bucket (e.g., bucket 1108) and the macroflow CIR (committed) bucket (e.g., bucket 1116) would be updated, or have their token counts reduced by an amount corresponding with the size of the packet.

Row 1235 of table 1200 illustrates the situation where a microflow is operating within its CIR and an associated macroflow is operating above its CIR but within its EIR when a given packet of the microflow is received. Accordingly, the packet would be marked locally as “G” for the microflow and locally as “Y” for the associated macroflow. In this instance, as shown in column 1215, the final color of the packet would be “G” as the microflow is operating within its CIR (e.g., at or below its guaranteed bandwidth). As shown in columns 1220 and 1225, in this situation, both the microflow committed bucket and the macroflow committed bucket that correspond with the particular microflow would be updated. In this instance, the token count of the macroflow committed bucket would go negative, or further negative. As discussed above, this outcome is desirable in certain embodiments as it may ensure that upgrades are not available for a period of time when additional microflows begin communicating in situations where one or more other microflows have been operating above their CIR and using excess bandwidth. As previously discussed, using such an approach would allow each microflow to have access to its CIR. However, packet upgrades would not be available again until the macroflow committed bucket again achieved a positive token count.

Row 1240 of table 1200 illustrates the situation where a microflow is operating within its CIR and an associated macroflow is operating above its CIR and its EIR when a given packet of the microflow is received. Accordingly, the packet would be marked locally as “G” for the microflow and locally as “R” for the associated macroflow. In this instance, as shown in column 1215, the final color of the packet would be “G” as the microflow is operating within its CIR (e.g., at or below its guaranteed bandwidth). As shown in columns 1220 and 1225, both the microflow committed bucket and the macroflow committed bucket would be updated. In like fashion as discussed above with respect to row 1235, the token count of the macroflow committed bucket would go negative, or further negative in this situation.

Row 1245 illustrates the situation where a microflow is operating above its CIR but within its EIR and an associated macroflow is operating within its CIR when a given packet of the microflow is received. In this situation, the packet would be marked locally as “Y” for the microflow and locally as “G” for the macroflow. In this instance, as shown in column 1215, the final color of the packet would be marked as “G”, or the packet would be upgraded from “Y” to “G” to allow the microflow to utilize the excess bandwidth of the macroflow. As shown in columns 1220 and 1225, the token counts for a microflow excess bucket (e.g., bucket 1110) and the macroflow committed bucket (e.g., bucket 1116) would be updated by reducing their token counts by an amount corresponding with the size of the packet.

Row 1250 illustrates the situation where a microflow is operating above its CIR but within its EIR and an associated macroflow is also operating above its CIR but within its EIR when a given packet of the microflow is received. Here the packet would be marked locally as “Y” for the microflow and locally as “Y” for the macroflow. In this instance, further processing may be done on the packet to determine whether to upgrade the packet to “G” or downgrade the packet to “R.” This decision may depend on a number of factors, such as, for example, an amount of downstream congestion in an associated network device and/or network.

Row 1255 illustrates the situation where a microflow is operating above its CIR but within its EIR and an associated macroflow is operating above its EIR when a given packet of the microflow is received. Here the packet would be marked locally as “Y” for the microflow and locally as “R” for the macroflow. In this instance, upgrades would not be available as the macroflow is operating above its EIR. Accordingly, the packet is marked with a final color of “R” and none of the token buckets for the microflow or macroflow are updated. Typically the packet in this situation is discarded, though in some embodiments the packet may still be forwarded to its destination if congestion does not exist downstream, such as described above and in further detail below.

Rows 1260, 1265 and 1270 illustrate situations where a microflow is operating above both its CIR and EIR. In the situation of row 1260, an associated macroflow is operating within its CIR. In the situation of row 1265, the macroflow is operating above its CIR but within its EIR. In the situation of row 1270, the macroflow is also operating above its EIR In each of these situations, the final color of the packet would be marked as “R” because the microflow is operating above its EIR, which represents an upper bandwidth limit for the microflow. Therefore, even if the associated macroflow is operating in-profile (e.g., below its CIR and/or EIR), upgrades would not be given to packets that are marked locally as “R” for microflows in this embodiment. In these situations, none of the token buckets for the microflow or macroflow would be updated.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example embodiment of a method 1300 for meter-based hierarchical bandwidth sharing. The method 1300 may be implemented in the apparatus 1100 of FIG. 11 using the packet marking illustrated in FIG. 12. Of course, the method 1300 could be implemented in any number of data communication apparatus and is not limited to the approaches illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12. However, for purposes of illustration, the method 1300 will be described with additional reference to FIGS. 11 and 12.

At block 1305 of the method 1300, a data packet is received as part of a first data traffic flow. The packet may be, for example, part of a first microflow, such as the microflow 1102. At block 1310, it is determined whether a first rate of traffic of the first data traffic flow is less than or equal to a first threshold. For instance, the committed token bucket 1108 may be examined to determine if the microflow 1102 is operating at or below its CIR. If a positive token count is present in the committed bucket 1108, the first rate of traffic would be determined to be less than or equal to the first threshold (e.g., the CIR or “guaranteed” data rate). If the meter 1108 has a zero or negative token count, the first rate of traffic would be determined to be greater than the first threshold, indicating the microflow 1102 is operating above its CIR. At block 1315, in the event the first rate of traffic is determined to be less than or equal to the first threshold (the CIR), the packet may be locally and finally marked with a first marker type (e.g., “G”) as the local microflow color and final macroflow color, such as discussed above. The final marking may be done by the committed bucket 1108, or alternatively may be done by one of the dual-token buckets 1116 and 1117 associated with the macroflow 1106.

At block 1320, in the event the first rate of traffic is greater than the first threshold (e.g., the microflow 1102 is operating above its CIR), a determination may then be made as to whether the first rate of traffic is greater than a second threshold (e.g., an EIR for the microflow), where the second threshold (EIR) is greater than the first threshold (CIR). In the event the first rate of traffic is less than or equal to the second threshold (but greater than the CIR), the data packet may be marked with a second marker type (e.g., “Y”) as the local microflow color, such as discussed in the above example with respect to FIG. 12. However, in the event the first of rate traffic is greater than the second threshold (EIR), the data packet may then be marked with a third marker type (“R”) as the local color for the microflow 1102 and finally marked as red for the macroflow 1106, such as in the fashions discussed above.

At block 1325 of the method 1300, a second data traffic flow having a second rate of traffic may be received. At block 1330, the first data traffic flow may be combined with the second data traffic flow to produce a third data traffic flow. Of course, the first and second data traffic flows may simply be combined with each other, or may be combined with additional data traffic flows to form the third data traffic flow.

At block 1335, it may be determined whether a third rate of traffic of the third data traffic flow is less than or equal to a third threshold (e.g., a macroflow minimum bandwidth limit). At block 1340, in the event the data packet is marked with the second marker type (e.g., locally as “Y” for the microflow) and the third rate of traffic is less than or equal to the third threshold (e.g., the macroflow 1106 is operating within its CIR), the packet may be finally marked with the first marker type (e.g., the packet may be upgraded from “Y” and given a final color of “G,” such as illustrated by row 1245 of the table 1200).

At block 1345, in the event the data packet is marked with the second marker type (e.g., marked locally “Y” for the microflow 1102) and the third rate of traffic is greater than the third threshold (e.g., the macroflow 1106 is operating above its CIR) a determination may then be made as to whether the third rate of traffic is greater than a fourth threshold (e.g., an EIR for the macroflow 1106), where the fourth threshold (macroflow EIR) is greater than the third threshold (macroflow CIR). In the event the third rate of traffic is less than or equal to the fourth threshold (less than the macroflow EIR but greater than the macroflow CIR), the data packet may be finally marked with the second marker type (e.g., “Y”), such as discussed in the above example with respect to FIG. 12. However, in the event the third rate of traffic is greater than the fourth threshold (macroflow EIR), the data packet may then be finally marked with the third marker type (“R”) as the final color for the macroflow 1106, such as in the fashions discussed above.

At block 1350, in the event the packet is finally marked with the first marker type (e.g., “G”), the packet may be forwarded to a destination associated with the packet, such as indicated by a destination address included in the packet. At block 1355, in the event the packet is finally marked with one of the second marker type (e.g., “Y”) and the third marker type (e.g., “R”), the method 1300 may include one of (i) processing the packet to determine whether to forward or discard the packet, and forwarding or discarding the packet in accordance with the determination; and (ii) forwarding the packet for processing to determine whether to retain or discard the packet. The determination whether to forward the packet to its destination or discard the packet may be based, at least in part, on down stream data traffic congestion in a network and/or network device implementing such a method.

In the example method 1300 shown in FIG. 13, where the data packet is locally and finally marked green, forwarding the data packet in the third data flow may include decrementing a token count of a committed information rate token bucket of a dual-token bucket meter associated with the first data flow by an amount corresponding with a size of the data packet. In this situation, forwarding the data packet may also include decrementing a token count of a committed information rate token bucket of a dual-token bucket meter associated with the third data flow by the amount corresponding with the size of the data packet.

Also in the example method 1300, where the data packet is locally marked yellow and finally marked green, forwarding the data packet in the third data flow may include decrementing a token count of an excess information rate token bucket of a dual-token bucket meter associated with the first data flow by an amount corresponding with a size of the data packet. In this situation, forwarding the data packet may also include decrementing a token count of a committed information rate token bucket of a dual-token bucket meter associated with the third data flow by the amount corresponding with the size of the data packet.

Further in the example method 1300, where the data packet is locally and finally marked yellow, forwarding the data packet in the third data flow may include decrementing a token count of an excess information rate token bucket of a dual-token bucket meter associated with the first data flow by an amount corresponding with a size of the data packet. In this situation, forwarding the data packet may also include decrementing a token count of an excess information rate token bucket of a dual-token bucket meter associated with the third data flow by the amount corresponding with the size of the data packet.

FIG. 14 is a table 1400 illustrating an example embodiment for packet marking that may be employed, for example, with the apparatus 1100 illustrated in FIG. 11. The packet marking illustrated in FIG. 14 accounts for metering of both the CIRs and EIRs for the microflows of the apparatus 1100 and both the CIRs and EIRs for the macroflows 1106 and 1124 of the apparatus 1100. The approach illustrated in FIG. 14 may be used in embodiments where only upper bandwidth limits (e.g., maximum bandwidth limits) are imposed for microflows and macroflows. The table 1400 shows an example approach for updating the token buckets of the trTCMs illustrated in FIG. 11. Of course, these techniques may also be applied using other apparatus.

In the table 1400, in like fashion as the tables 600 and 1200, column 1405 indicates the state of a microflow (e.g., dual-bucket) meter when a packet is received. For example, if the token bucket 1108 indicates that the microflow 1102 is operating within its CIR (e.g., the token bucket 1108 has a positive token count) when the packet is received, the packet is marked as green (“G”). However, if the token bucket 1108 indicates that the microflow 1102 is operating above its CIR when the packet is received (e.g., the token count of the bucket 1108 is zero or negative), the token bucket 1110 may be examined to determine if the microflow 1102 is operating within its EIR (e.g., the token bucket 1110 has a positive token count). If the microflow 1102 is operating within its EIR, the packet is marked as yellow (“Y”). Further, if the token buckets 1108 and 1110 indicate that the microflow 1102 is operating above the EIR (e.g., the token counts of the buckets 1108 and 1110 are either zero or negative), the packet is marked as red (“R”).

As with column 605 of the table 600, for example, the color markings in column 1405 may be referred to as the microflow “local color,” as those markings indicate whether the microflow (e.g., based on its dual token bucket) is operating within its CIR, operating within its EIR, or is out-of-profile (e.g., operating above its EIR). Therefore the packet markings in column 1405 indicate the local state of an associated microflow dual token bucket meter.

Column 1410 in FIG. 14, in like fashion as discussed above with respect to the tables 600 and 1200, indicates the state of the macroflow dual-token bucket meters 1116 and 1117 when the packet is received and may be referred to as the macroflow local color. The local color marking, e.g., for macroflow 1106, in column 1410 is determined in similar fashion as the local color marking for microflows, as indicated in column 1405. For instance, if the token bucket 1116 indicates that the macroflow 1106 is operating within its CIR (e.g., the token bucket 1116 has a positive token count) when the packet is received, the packet is locally marked as green (“G”). However, if the token bucket 1116 indicates that the macroflow 1106 is operating above its CIR when the packet is received (e.g., the token count of the bucket 1116 is zero or negative), the token bucket 1117 may be examined to determine if the macroflow 1106 is operating within its EIR (e.g., the token bucket 1117 has a positive token count). If the microflow is operating within its EIR, the packet is locally marked as yellow (“Y”). Further, if the token buckets 1116 and 1117 indicate that the macroflow 1106 is operating above the EIR (e.g., the token counts of the buckets 1116 and 1117 are both zero or negative), the packet is locally marked as red (“R”).

Column 1415 in FIG. 14, as with the column 615 of the table 600, for example, indicates what the final color of a packet would be in each instance illustrated in the table 1400. In this example, the final color of a packet may depend on its microflow local color and/or its macroflow local color, such as described herein. Columns 1420 and 1425 indicate, respectively, whether token counts of the microflow CIR bucket (e.g., token bucket 1108), the EIR bucket (e.g., the token bucket 1110), the macroflow CIR bucket (e.g., token bucket 1116) and/or the macroflow EIR bucket (e.g., token bucket 1117) are updated (e.g., token counts reduced) for a given packet in the various situations illustrated in FIG. 14.

Row 1430 of table 1400 illustrates the situation where a microflow is operating within its CIR and an associated macroflow is also operating within its CIR when a given packet of the microflow is received. Accordingly, the packet would be marked locally as “G” for the microflow and locally as “G” for the associated macroflow. In this instance, as shown in column 1415, the final color of the packet would be “G” as well. Typically, the packet would then be forwarded onto to its destination. In some embodiments, however, the packet could still be dropped due to congestion at, for example, an egress data queuing structure. In this situation, for the microflow 1102, the microflow CIR (committed) bucket (e.g., bucket 1108) and the macroflow CIR (committed) bucket (e.g., bucket 1116) would be updated, or have their token counts reduced by an amount corresponding with the size of the packet.

Row 1435 of table 1400 illustrates the situation where a microflow is operating within its CIR and an associated macroflow is operating above its CIR but within its EIR when a given packet of the microflow is received. Accordingly, the packet would be marked locally as “G” for the microflow and locally as “Y” for the associated macroflow. In this instance, as shown in column 1415, the final color of the packet would be “Y” as the macroflow is operating above its CIR, but below its EIR. As shown in columns 1420 and 1425, in this situation, both the microflow excess bucket and the macroflow excess bucket that correspond with the particular microflow would be updated.

Row 1440 of table 1400 illustrates the situation where a microflow is operating within its CIR and an associated macroflow is operating above its CIR and its EIR when a given packet of the microflow is received. Accordingly, the packet would be marked locally as “G” for the microflow and locally as “R” for the associated macroflow. In this instance, as shown in column 1415, the final color of the packet would be “R” as the macroflow has exceeded its upper bandwidth limit (as represented by the EIR of the macroflow). As shown in columns 1420 and 1425, no token bucket updates would be performed in this situation.

Row 1445 illustrates the situation where a microflow is operating above its CIR but within its EIR and an associated macroflow is operating within its CIR when a given packet of the microflow is received. In this situation, the packet would be marked locally as “Y” for the microflow and locally as “G” for the macroflow. In this instance, as shown in column 1415, the final color of the packet would be marked as “G” to allow the microflow to utilize the excess bandwidth of the macroflow. As shown in columns 1420 and 1425, the token counts for a microflow committed bucket (e.g., bucket 1108) and the macroflow committed bucket (e.g., bucket 1116) would be updated by reducing their token counts by an amount corresponding with the size of the packet.

Row 1450 illustrates the situation where a microflow is operating above its CIR but within its EIR and an associated macroflow is also operating above its CIR but within its EIR when a given packet of the microflow is received. In this situation, the packet would be marked locally as “Y” for the microflow, locally as “Y” for the macroflow and finally as “Y,” and both the microflow excess bucket and the macroflow excess bucket that correspond with the particular microflow would be updated.

Rows 1455, 1460, 1465 and 1470 illustrate situations where at least one of a microflow and/or its corresponding macroflow is operating above both its respective CIR and EIR and the microflow is operating above its CIR and/or its EIR. In each of these situations, the packet would be finally marked as “R” and no token bucket updates would be performed.

FIG. 15 is a table 1500 illustrating another example embodiment for packet marking that may be employed, for example, with the apparatus 1100 illustrated in FIG. 11. The packet marking illustrated in FIG. 15 accounts for metering of both the CIRs and EIRs for the microflows of the apparatus 1100 and both the CIRs and EIRs for the macroflows 1106 and 1124 of the apparatus 1100. The approach illustrated in FIG. 15 may be used in embodiments where only lower bandwidth limits (e.g., minimum bandwidth guarantees) are imposed for microflows and macroflows. The table 1500 shows an example approach for updating the token buckets of the trTCMs illustrated in FIG. 11. Of course, these techniques may also be applied using other apparatus.

In the table 1500, in like fashion as the column 605 of the table 600, column 1505 indicates the state of a microflow (e.g., dual-bucket) meter when a packet is received. For example, if the token bucket 1108 indicates that the microflow 1102 is operating within its CIR (e.g., the token bucket 1108 has a positive token count) when the packet is received, the packet is marked as green (“G”). However, if the token bucket 1108 indicates that the microflow 1102 is operating above its CIR when the packet is received (e.g., the token count of the bucket 1108 is zero or negative), the token bucket 1110 may be examined to determine if the microflow 1102 is operating within its EIR (e.g., the token bucket 1110 has a positive token count). If the microflow 1102 is operating within its EIR, the packet is marked as yellow (“Y”). Further, if the token buckets 1108 and 1110 indicate that the microflow 1102 is operating above the EIR (e.g., the token counts of the buckets 1108 and 1110 are either zero or negative), the packet is marked as red (“R”).

As with column 605 of the table 600, the color markings in column 1505 may be referred to as the microflow “local color,” as those markings indicate whether the microflow (e.g., based on its dual token bucket) is operating within its CIR, operating within its EIR, or is out-of-profile (e.g., operating above its EIR). Therefore the packet markings in column 1505 indicate the local state of an associated microflow dual token bucket meter.

Column 1510 in FIG. 15, in like fashion as column 610 of the table 600, indicates the state of the macroflow dual-token bucket meters 1116 and 1117 when the packet is received and may be referred to as the macroflow local color. The local color marking, e.g., for macroflow 1106, in column 1510 is determined in similar fashion as the local color marking for microflows, as indicated in column 1505. For instance, if the token bucket 1116 indicates that the macroflow 1106 is operating within its CIR (e.g., the token bucket 1116 has a positive token count) when the packet is received, the packet is locally marked as green (“G”). However, if the token bucket 1116 indicates that the macroflow 1106 is operating above its CIR when the packet is received (e.g., the token count of the bucket 1116 is zero or negative), the token bucket 1117 may be examined to determine if the macroflow 1106 is operating within its EIR (e.g., the token bucket 1117 has a positive token count). If the microflow is operating within its EIR, the packet is locally marked as yellow (“Y”). Further, if the token buckets 1116 and 1117 indicate that the macroflow 1106 is operating above the EIR (e.g., the token counts of the buckets 1116 and 1117 are both zero, or negative), the packet is locally marked as red (“R”).

Column 1515 in FIG. 15, in like fashion as the column 615 of the table 600, indicates what the final color of a packet would be in each instance illustrated in the table 1500. In this example, the final color of a packet may depend on its microflow local color and/or its macroflow local color, such as described herein. Columns 1520 and 1525 indicate, respectively, whether token counts of the microflow CIR bucket (e.g., token bucket 1108), the EIR bucket (e.g., the token bucket 1110), the macroflow CIR bucket (e.g., token bucket 1116) and/or the macroflow EIR bucket (e.g., token bucket 1117) are updated (e.g., token counts reduced) for a given packet in the various situations illustrated in FIG. 15.

Row 1530 of table 1500 illustrates the situation where a microflow is operating within its CIR and an associated macroflow is also operating within its CIR when a given packet of the microflow is received. Accordingly, the packet would be marked locally as “G” for the microflow and locally as “G” for the associated macroflow. In this instance, as shown in column 1515, the final color of the packet would be “G” as well. Typically, the packet would then be forwarded onto to its destination. In some embodiments, however, the packet could still be dropped due to congestion at, for example, an egress data queuing structure. In this situation, for the microflow 1102, the microflow CIR (committed) bucket (e.g., bucket 1108) and the macroflow CIR (committed) bucket (e.g., bucket 1116) would be updated, or have their token counts reduced by an amount corresponding with the size of the packet.

Row 1535 of table 1500 illustrates the situation where a microflow is operating within its CIR and an associated macroflow is operating above its CIR but within its EIR when a given packet of the microflow is received. Accordingly, the packet would be marked locally as “G” for the microflow and locally as “Y” for the associated macroflow. In this instance, as shown in column 1515, the final color of the packet would be “G” as the microflow is operating within its CIR (e.g., at or below its guaranteed bandwidth). As shown in columns 1520 and 1525, in this situation, both the microflow committed bucket and the macroflow committed bucket that correspond with the particular microflow would be updated. In this instance, the token count of the macroflow committed bucket would go negative, or further negative. As discussed above, this outcome is desirable in certain embodiments as it may ensure that upgrades, such as discussed above, are not available for a period of time when additional microflows begin communicating in situations where one or more other microflows have been operating above their CIR and using excess bandwidth. In like fashion as was discussed above, using such an approach would allow each microflow to have access to its CIR. However, packet upgrades (e.g., from microflow local “Y” to final “G” or microflow local “R” to final “G”) would not be available again until the macroflow committed bucket again achieved a positive token count.

Row 1540 of the table 1500 illustrates the situation where a microflow is operating within its CIR and an associated macroflow is operating above its CIR and its EIR when a given packet of the microflow is received. Accordingly, the packet would be marked locally as “G” for the microflow and locally as “R” for the associated macroflow. In this instance, as shown in column 1515, the final color of the packet would be “G” as the microflow is operating within its CIR (e.g., at or below its guaranteed bandwidth). As shown in columns 1520 and 1525, both the microflow committed bucket and the macroflow committed bucket would be updated. In like fashion as discussed above with respect to row 1535, the token count of the macroflow committed bucket would go negative, or further negative in this situation.

Row 1545 illustrates the situation where a microflow is operating above its CIR but within its EIR and an associated macroflow is operating within its CIR when a given packet of the microflow is received. In this situation, the packet would be marked locally as “Y” for the microflow and locally as “G” for the macroflow. In this instance, as shown in column 1515, the final color of the packet would be marked as “G”, or the packet would be upgraded from “Y” to “G” to allow the microflow to utilize the excess bandwidth of the macroflow. As shown in columns 1520 and 1525, the token counts for a microflow excess bucket (e.g., bucket 1110) and a macroflow committed bucket (e.g., bucket 1116) would be updated by reducing their token counts by an amount corresponding with the size of the packet.

Row 1550 illustrates the situation where a microflow is operating above its CIR but within its EIR and an associated macroflow is also operating above its CIR but within its EIR when a given packet of the microflow is received. Here the packet would be marked locally as “Y” for the microflow, locally as “Y” for the macroflow and finally as “Y” and the respective excess buckets for the microflow and the macroflow would be updated. In similar fashion as was discussed above with respect to row 1250 of the table 1200, in this instance, further processing may be done on the packet to determine whether to upgrade the packet to “G” or downgrade the packet to “R.” This decision may depend on a number of factors, such as, for example, an amount of downstream congestion in an associated network device and/or network.

Row 1555 illustrates the situation where a microflow is operating above its CIR but within its EIR and an associated macroflow is operating above CIR and its EIR when a given packet of the microflow is received. Here the packet would be marked locally as “Y” for the microflow and locally as “R” for the macroflow. In this instance, is marked with a final color of “Y” and the respective excess token buckets for the microflow and the macroflow are updated. Depending on the particular embodiment, in this situation, the packet could be sent on to its destination or discarded. For instance, the packet may be forwarded to its destination if congestion does not exist downstream. Alternatively, the packet may be discarded if congestion exists downstream.

Row 1560 illustrates the situation where a microflow is operating above its CIR and its EIR and an associated macroflow is operating below its CIR when a given packet of the microflow is received. Here the packet would be marked locally as “R” for the microflow and locally as “G” for the macroflow. In this instance, is marked with a final color of “G” in order to provide the macroflow access to its minimum bandwidth. As shown in the table 1500, in this situation, the token buckets for the microflow are not updated, while the committed token bucket for the macroflow is updated. Such an approach is used in this situation as the microflow is advantageously using excess bandwidth of the macroflow and should not be penalized by causing the token counts of its token bucket meters to go negative or further negative, which could unnecessarily impact future data traffic.

Row 1565 illustrates the situation where a microflow is operating above its CIR and its EIR and an associated macroflow is operating above its CIR but within its EIR when a given packet of the microflow is received. Here the packet would be marked locally as “R” for the microflow and locally as “Y” for the macroflow. In this instance, the packet is marked with a final color of “Y.”. In like fashion as discussed above for packets with final color of “Y,” further processing may be done to determine whether to send the packet on to its destination (e.g., upgrade the packet to “G”) or to discard the packet (e.g., downgrade the packet to “R”).

Row 1570 illustrates a situation where a microflow and its corresponding macroflow are both operating above both their respective CIRs and EIRs. In this situation, the packet would be marked locally as “R” for the microflow, marked locally as “R” for the macroflow and marked with a final color of “R.” This situation may occur when network devices that are used to process the microflow and macroflow are oversubscribed (e.g., have more data traffic to process than available bandwidth).

FIG. 16 is a table 1600 illustrating an example embodiment for packet marking that may be employed with the apparatus 1100 illustrated in FIG. 11. The packet marking illustrated in FIG. 16 accounts for metering of both the CIRs and EIRs for the microflows of the apparatus 1100 and both the CIRs and EIRs for the macroflows 1106 and 1124 of the apparatus 1100. The approach illustrated in FIG. 16 may be used in embodiments where both lower bandwidth limits (e.g., minimum bandwidth guarantees) and upper bandwidth limits (e.g., maximum bandwidth limits) are imposed for microflows and macroflows. The table 1600 shows an example approach for updating the token buckets of the trTCMs illustrated in FIG. 11. Of course, these techniques may also be applied using other apparatus. The approach illustrated in FIG. 16 may be implemented as an alternative to the approach illustrated in FIG. 12, for example.

In the table 1600, in like fashion as the table 600, column 1605 indicates the state of a microflow (e.g., dual-bucket) meter when a packet is received. For example, if the token bucket 1108 indicates that the microflow 1102 is operating within its CIR (e.g., the token bucket 1108 has a positive token count) when the packet is received, the packet is marked as green (“G”). However, if the token bucket 1108 indicates that the microflow 1102 is operating above its CIR when the packet is received (e.g., the token count of the bucket 1108 is zero or negative), the token bucket 1110 may be examined to determine if the microflow 1102 is operating within its EIR (e.g., the token bucket 1110 has a positive token count). If the microflow 1102 is operating within its EIR, the packet is marked as yellow (“Y”). Further, if the token buckets 1108 and 1110 indicate that the microflow 1102 is operating above the EIR (e.g., the token counts of the buckets 1108 and 1110 are either zero or negative), the packet is marked as red (“R”).

As with column 605 of the table 600, the color markings in column 1605 may be referred to as the microflow “local color,” as those markings indicate whether the microflow (e.g., based on its dual token bucket) is operating within its CIR, operating within its EIR, or is out-of-profile (e.g., operating above its EIR). Therefore the packet markings in column 1605 indicate the local state of an associated microflow dual token bucket meter.

Column 1610 in FIG. 16, in like fashion as column 610 of the table 600, indicates the state of the macroflow dual-token bucket meters 1116 and 1117 when the packet is received and may be referred to as the macroflow local color. The local color marking, e.g., for macroflow 1106, in column 1610 is determined in similar fashion as the local color marking for microflows, as indicated in column 1605. For instance, if the token bucket 1116 indicates that the macroflow 1106 is operating within its CIR (e.g., the token bucket 1116 has a positive token count) when the packet is received, the packet is locally marked as green (“G”). However, if the token bucket 1116 indicates that the macroflow 1106 is operating above its CIR when the packet is received (e.g., the token count of the bucket 1116 is zero or negative), the token bucket 1117 may be examined to determine if the macroflow 1106 is operating within its EIR (e.g., the token bucket 1117 has a positive token count). If the microflow is operating within its EIR, the packet is locally marked as yellow (“Y”). Further, if the token buckets 1116 and 1117 indicate that the macroflow 1106 is operating above the EIR (e.g., the token counts of the buckets 1116 and 1117 are both zero or negative), the packet is locally marked as red (“R”).

Column 1615 in FIG. 16, in like fashion as the column 615 of the table 600, indicates what the final color of a packet would be in each instance illustrated in the table 1600. In this example, the final color of a packet may depend on its microflow local color and its macroflow local color, such as described in further detail below. Columns 1620 and 1625 indicate, respectively, whether token counts of the microflow CIR bucket (e.g., token bucket 1108), the EIR bucket (e.g., the token bucket 1110), the macroflow CIR bucket (e.g., token bucket 1116) and/or the macroflow EIR bucket (e.g., token bucket 1117) are updated (e.g., token counts reduced) for a given packet in the various situations illustrated in FIG. 16.

Row 1630 of table 1600 illustrates the situation where a microflow is operating within its CIR and an associated macroflow is also operating within its CIR when a given packet of the microflow is received. Accordingly, the packet would be marked locally as “G” for the microflow and locally as “G” for the associated macroflow. In this instance, as shown in column 1615, the final color of the packet would be “G” as well. In this situation, the microflow CIR (committed) bucket (e.g., bucket 1108) and the macroflow CIR (committed) bucket (e.g., bucket 1116) would be updated, or have their token counts reduced by an amount corresponding with the size of the packet.

Row 1635 of table 1600 illustrates the situation where a microflow is operating within its CIR and an associated macroflow is operating above its CIR but within its EIR when a given packet of the microflow is received. Accordingly, the packet would be marked locally as “G” for the microflow and locally as “Y” for the associated macroflow. In this instance, as shown in column 1615, the final color of the packet would be “G” as the microflow is operating within its CIR (e.g., at or below its guaranteed bandwidth). As shown in columns 1620 and 1625, in this situation, both the microflow committed bucket and the macroflow committed bucket that correspond with the particular microflow would be updated. In this instance, the token count of the macroflow committed bucket would go negative, or further negative. As discussed above, this outcome is desirable in certain embodiments as it may ensure that upgrades are not available for a period of time when additional microflows begin communicating in situations where one or more other microflows have been operating above their CIR and using excess bandwidth. As previously discussed, using such an approach would allow each microflow to have access to its CIR. However, packet upgrades would not be available again until the macroflow committed bucket again achieved a positive token count.

Row 1640 of table 1600 illustrates the situation where a microflow is operating within its CIR and an associated macroflow is operating above its CIR and its EIR when a given packet of the microflow is received. Accordingly, the packet would be marked locally as “G” for the microflow and locally as “R” for the associated macroflow. In this instance, as shown in column 1615, the final color of the packet would be “G” as the microflow is operating within its CIR (e.g., at or below its guaranteed bandwidth). As shown in columns 1620 and 1625, both the microflow committed bucket and the macroflow committed bucket would be updated. In like fashion as discussed above with respect to row 1635, the token count of the macroflow committed bucket would go negative, or further negative in this situation.

Row 1645 illustrates the situation where a microflow is operating above its CIR but within its EIR and an associated macroflow is operating within its CIR when a given packet of the microflow is received. In this situation, the packet would be marked locally as “Y” for the microflow and locally as “G” for the macroflow. In this instance, as shown in column 1615, the final color of the packet would be marked as “Y,” which differs from the approach illustrated in FIG. 12, row 1245. As shown in columns 1620 and 1625, in this approach, the token counts for a microflow excess bucket (e.g., bucket 1110) and the macroflow excess bucket (e.g., bucket 1117) would be updated by reducing their token counts by an amount corresponding with the size of the packet.

Row 1650 illustrates the situation where a microflow is operating above its CIR but within its EIR and an associated macroflow is also operating above its CIR but within its EIR when a given packet of the microflow is received. Here the packet would be marked locally as “Y” for the microflow and locally as “Y” for the macroflow. In this instance, further processing may be done on the packet to determine whether to upgrade the packet to “G” or downgrade the packet to “R.” This decision may depend on a number of factors, such as, for example, an amount of downstream congestion in an associated network device and/or network.

Row 1655 illustrates the situation where a microflow is operating above its CIR but within its EIR and an associated macroflow is operating above its EIR when a given packet of the microflow is received. Here the packet would be marked locally as “Y” for the microflow and locally as “R” for the macroflow. In this instance, upgrades would not be available as the macroflow is operating above its EIR. Accordingly, the packet is marked with a final color of “R” and none of the token buckets for the microflow or macroflow are updated. Typically the packet in this situation is discarded, though in some embodiments the packet may still be forwarded to its destination if congestion does not exist downstream, such as described above and in further detail below.

Rows 1660, 1665 and 1670 illustrate situations where a microflow is operating above both its CIR and EIR. In the situation of row 1660, an associated macroflow is operating within its CIR. In the situation of row 1665, the macroflow is operating above its CIR but within its EIR. In the situation of row 1670, the macroflow is also operating above its EIR. In each of these situations, the final color of the packet would be marked as “R” because the microflow is operating above its EIR, which represents an upper bandwidth limit for the microflow. Therefore, even if the associated macroflow is operating in-profile (e.g., below its CIR and/or EIR), upgrades would not be given to packets that are marked locally as “R” for microflows in this embodiment. In these situations, none of the token buckets for the microflow or macroflow would be updated.

In the packet marking approaches described above, packet marking at each metering stage is done without consideration of a packet's “incoming color,” such as a color marking from a previous metering stage. Such packet marking approaches may be referred to as being “color-blind” packet marking, where local packet marking is performed based only on the state of a local meter (e.g., a trTCM) without considering the incoming colors of packets received from previous stages. In other approaches, an incoming color of a packet may be considered when determining the local color of a packet. Such packet marking approaches may be referred to as “color-aware” packet marking, where incoming color is considered when determining a local color to locally mark a packet using a local meter (e.g., a trTCM).

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating a method 1700 for “color-blind” local packet marking in accordance with an example embodiment. The method 1700 includes, at block 1710, receiving a data packet that is included in a data flow. The data flow may be a microflow or a macroflow, such as previously described. At block 1720, the method 1700 includes determining whether a rate of the data traffic flow is less than a first threshold (e.g., a CIR for a local meter). If the rate of the data traffic flow is less than the first threshold, the packet, at block 1730, is marked locally as “G.” If the rate of data traffic exceeds (or is equal to) the first threshold, the method 1700 proceeds to block 1740. At block 1740, the method 1700 includes determining whether the rate of the data traffic flow is less than a second threshold, where the second threshold is greater than the first threshold (e.g., an EIR for the local meter). If the rate of the data traffic flow is less than the second threshold, the packet, at block 1750, is marked locally as “Y.” If the rate of the data traffic flow is less than the first threshold, the packet, at block 1760, is marked locally as “R” and may also be discarded, such as using the approaches previously described. The packet markings of the method 1700 may be utilized in a number of fashions, such as in the manners described herein.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating a method 1800 for “color-aware” local packet marking in accordance with an example embodiment. In certain embodiments, the approach illustrated in FIG. 18 could be implemented in conjunction with the other methods and approached described herein. The method 1800 includes, at block 1805, receiving a data packet included in a data traffic flow. At block 1810, the method 1800 includes determining if the incoming color of the packet is green. In other embodiments, block 1810 may include merely determining the color of the incoming packet (e.g., whether the incoming color is “G,” “Y,” or “R.”) rather than just determining whether the packet has an incoming color of “G.”

In the method 1800, if it is determined, at block 1810, that the incoming color of the packet received at block 1805 is “G,” the method 1800 proceeds to block 1815. At block 1815, the method 1800 includes determining if a rate of the data traffic flow in which the packet is included is less than a CIR threshold for the local meter (e.g., a first threshold). If the rate of the data traffic flow is less that the CIR threshold, the packet is marked locally as “G” at block 1820. If, however, the rate of the data traffic exceeds (or is equal to) the CIR, the method proceeds to block 1825. At block 1825, the method 1800 includes determining if a rate of the data traffic flow in which the packet is included is less than an EIR threshold for the local meter (e.g., a second threshold). If the rate of the data traffic flow is less that the EIR threshold, the packet is marked locally as “Y” at block 1830. However, if it is determined that the rate of the data traffic flow exceeds (or is equal to) the EIR at block 1825, the packet is marked locally as “R” at block 1835.

In the method 1800, if it is determined that the incoming color of the packet is not “G” at block 1810, the method proceeds to block 1840. At block 1840, the method 1800 includes determining whether the incoming color of the packet is “Y.” If the incoming color of the packet is “Y,” the method 1800 proceeds to block 1845. At block 1845, the method 1800 includes determining whether the rate of the data traffic flow is less than the EIR threshold for the local meter without making a comparison to the CIR for the local meter. If it is determined, at block 1845, that the rate of the data traffic flow is less than the EIR threshold, the packet is marked locally as “Y” at block 1850. However, if it is determined, at block 1845, that the rate of the data traffic flow exceeds (or is equal to) the EIR threshold for the local meter, the packet is marked locally as “R” at block 1855. In this situation, the packet could not be marked locally as “G” if the incoming color is “Y,” thus the packet marking is “color-aware” as the incoming color is taken into consideration when locally marking the packet.

In the method 1800, if the incoming color is determined, at block 1840, to not be “Y,” the packet (which is presumed to have an incoming color of “R”) is marked locally as “R” at block 1860. Thus, in this approach, if the incoming color is “R” the local color will also be “R” regardless of the state of the local meter.

It will be appreciated that the operations of the method 1800 may be performed in a number of appropriate orders. Also, in certain embodiments, the operations of the method 1800 may be combined. For instance, determining the incoming color may be done in a single operation. As another example, the local marking operations may be combined. For instance, blocks 1830 and 1850 may be a single block, while blocks 1835, 1855 and 1860 may be a single block.

Implementations of the various techniques described herein may be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer hardware, firmware, software, or in combinations of them. Implementations may implemented as a computer program product, i.e., a computer program tangibly embodied in an information carrier, e.g., in a machine-readable storage device, for execution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus, e.g., a programmable processor, a computer, or multiple computers. A computer program, such as the computer program(s) described above, can be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and can be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network.

Method steps may be performed by one or more programmable processors executing a computer program to perform functions by operating on input data and generating output. Method steps also may be performed by, and an apparatus may be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit).

Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, by way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory or a random access memory or both. Elements of a computer may include at least one processor for executing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer also may include, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g., magnetic, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks. Information carriers suitable for embodying computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and the memory may be supplemented by, or incorporated in special purpose logic circuitry.

To provide for interaction with a user, implementations may be implemented on a computer having a display device, e.g., a cathode ray tube (CRT) or liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor, for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device, e.g., a mouse or a trackball, by which the user can provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices can be used to provide for interaction with a user as well; for example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback, e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input from the user can be received in any form, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input.

Implementations may be implemented in a computing system that includes a back-end component, e.g., as a data server, or that includes a middleware component, e.g., an application server, or that includes a front-end component, e.g., a client computer having a graphical user interface or a Web browser through which a user can interact with an implementation, or any combination of such back-end, middleware, or front-end components. Components may be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication, e.g., a communication network. Examples of communication networks include a local area network (LAN) and a wide area network (WAN), e.g., the Internet.

While certain features of the described implementations have been illustrated as described herein, many modifications, substitutions, changes and equivalents will now occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the embodiments of the invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for communicating data comprising: receiving a data packet included in a first data traffic flow having a first rate of traffic; based on the first rate of traffic of the first data traffic flow, marking the data packet with a first marker using a first two-rate three-color meter (trTCM); combining the first data traffic flow with a second data traffic flow having a second rate of traffic to produce a third data traffic flow having a third rate of traffic; based on the third rate of traffic of the third data traffic flow, marking the data packet with a second marker using a second two-rate three-color meter (trTCM); finally marking the data packet with a final marker based on the first marker and the second marker; and processing the data packet based on the final marker.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein marking the data packet with the first marker comprises: determining if the first rate of traffic is less than or equal to a first threshold; in the event the first rate of traffic is less than or equal to the first threshold, assigning a first marker type to the first marker; in the event the first rate of traffic is greater than the first threshold: determining whether the first rate of traffic is greater than a second threshold, the second threshold being greater than the first threshold; in the event the first rate of traffic is less than or equal to the second threshold, assigning a second marker type to the first marker; and in the event the first of rate traffic is greater than the second threshold, assigning a third marker type to the first marker.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining whether the first rate of traffic is less than or equal to the first threshold comprises determining whether a positive token count is present in a committed information rate token bucket of the first trTCM.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein determining whether the first rate of traffic is greater than the second threshold comprises determining whether a positive token count is present in an excess information rate token bucket of the first trTCM.
 5. The method of claim 2, wherein: the first marker type designates the data packet as green; the second marker type designates the data packet as yellow; and the third marker type designates the data packet as red.
 6. The method of claim 2, wherein: marking the data packet with the second marker comprises: determining whether the third rate of traffic is less than or equal to a third threshold; in the event the third rate of traffic is less than or equal to the third threshold, assigning the first marker type to the second marker; in the event the third rate of traffic is greater than the third threshold: determining whether the third rate of traffic is greater than a fourth threshold, the fourth threshold being greater than the third threshold; in the event the third rate of traffic is less than or equal to the fourth threshold, assigning the second marker type to the second marker; and in the event the third rate of traffic is greater than the fourth threshold, assigning the third marker type to the second marker; and finally marking the data packet with a final marker based on the first marker and the second marker comprises: in the event the first marker is assigned the first marker type, assigning the first marker type to the final marker; in the event the first marker is assigned the third marker type, assigning the third marker type to the final marker; in the event the first marker is assigned the second marker type and the second marker is assigned the first marker type, assigning the first marker type to the final marker; in the event the first marker type is assigned the second marker type and the second marker is assigned the second marker type, assigning the second marker type to the final marker; and in the event the first marker type is assigned the second marker type and the second marker is assigned the third marker type, assigning the third marker type to the final marker.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining whether the third rate of traffic is less than or equal to the third threshold comprises determining whether a positive token count is present in a committed information rate token bucket of the second trTCM.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein determining whether the third rate of traffic is greater than the fourth threshold comprises determining whether a positive token count is present in an excess information rate token bucket of the second trTCM.
 9. The method of claim 6, wherein: the first marker type designates the data packet as green; the second marker type designates the data packet as yellow; and the third marker type designates the data packet as red.
 10. The method of claim 6, wherein: in the event the final marker is assigned one of the first marker type and the second marker type, forwarding the data packet to a destination associated with the packet; and in the event the final marker is assigned the third marker type, discarding the packet.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein in the event the first marker is assigned the first marker type, forwarding the data packet to the destination associated with the packet comprises: decrementing a token count of a committed information rate token bucket of the first trTCM by an amount corresponding with a size of the data packet; and decrementing a token count of a committed information rate token bucket of the second trTCM by the amount corresponding with the size of the data packet.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein in the event the first marker is assigned the second marker type and the final marker is assigned the first marker type, forwarding the data packet the destination associated with the packet comprises: decrementing a token count of an excess information rate token bucket of the first trTCM by an amount corresponding with a size of the data packet; and decrementing a token count of a committed information rate token bucket of the second trTCM by the amount corresponding with the size of the data packet.
 13. The method of claim 10, wherein in the event the first marker is assigned the second marker type and the final marker is assigned the second marker type, forwarding the data packet to the destination associated with the packet comprises: decrementing a token count of an excess information rate token bucket of the first trTCM by an amount corresponding with a size of the data packet; and decrementing a token count of an excess information rate token bucket of the second trTCM by the amount corresponding with the size of the data packet.
 14. A network device comprising: a first two-rate three-color meter (trTCM) configured to: receive a data packet included in a first data traffic flow having a first rate of traffic; and based on the first rate of traffic of the first data traffic flow, mark the data packet with a first marker using a first two-rate three-color meter (trTCM); a scheduler configured to combine the first data traffic flow with a second data traffic flow having a second rate of traffic to produce a third data traffic flow having a third rate of traffic; a second trTCM configured to: receive the third data traffic flow; and based on the third rate of traffic of the third data traffic flow, mark the data packet with a second marker using a second two-rate three-color meter (trTCM); and a data queue comprising an admission control module, the data queue being configured to: finally mark the data packet with a final marker based on the first marker and the second marker; and process the data packet based on the final marker.
 15. The network device of claim 14, wherein the first trTCM comprises: a committed information rate token bucket for metering a committed information rate for the first data traffic flow; and an excess information rate token bucket for metering an excess information rate for the first data traffic flow.
 16. The network device of claim 14, wherein the second trTCM comprises: a committed information rate token bucket for metering a committed information rate for the third data traffic flow; and an excess information rate token bucket for metering an excess information rate for the third data traffic flow.
 17. The method of claim 14, wherein data queue is further configured to: forward the data packet to a destination associated with the data packet if the final marker type is one of a first marker type and a second marker type; and discard the data packet if the final marker type is a third marker type.
 18. The network device of claim 17, wherein: the first marker type designates the data packet as green; the second marker type designates the data packet as yellow; and the third marker type designates the data packet as red.
 19. A method for communicating data comprising: receiving a data packet included in a first data traffic flow; determining if a first rate of traffic of the first data traffic flow is less than or equal to a first threshold; in the event the first rate of traffic is less than or equal to the first threshold, locally and finally marking the data packet with a first marker type; in the event the first rate of traffic is greater than the first threshold: determining whether the first rate of traffic is greater than a second threshold, the second threshold being greater than the first threshold; in the event the first rate of traffic is less than or equal to the second threshold, locally marking the data packet with a second marker type; and in the event the first of rate traffic is greater than the second threshold, locally and finally marking the data packet with a third marker type; receiving a second data traffic flow having a second rate of traffic; combining the first data traffic flow and the second data traffic flow to produce a third data traffic flow; determining whether a third rate of traffic of the third data traffic flow is less than or equal to a third threshold; in the event the data packet is locally marked with the second marker type and the third rate of traffic is less than or equal to the third threshold, finally marking the packet with the first marker type; in the event the data packet is locally marked with the second marker type and the third rate of traffic is greater than the third threshold: determining whether the third rate of traffic is greater than a fourth threshold, the fourth threshold being greater than the third threshold; in the event the third rate of traffic is less than or equal to the fourth threshold, finally marking the packet with the second marker type; and in the event the third rate of traffic is greater than the fourth threshold, finally marking the packet with the third marker type; and in the event the packet is finally marked with the first marker type, forwarding the packet to a destination associated with the packet; in the event the packet is finally marked with one of the second marker type and the third marker type, performing one of: processing the packet to determine whether to forward or discard the packet, and forwarding or discarding the packet in accordance with the determination; and forwarding the packet for processing to determine whether to retain or discard the packet. 